Video interview published by Celebuzz
Alexander Ludwig Talks Experimenting With ‘Dark Side of Humanity’
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Category Archives: Interview
North Shore Outlook with Alexander Ludwig
Alexander Ludwig‘s article on Northshoreoutlook.com
As Alexander Ludwig fields questions from local media outlets in a downtown Vancouver hotel, The Hunger Games’ colossal $155-million opening weekend is still two days in the future. However, no one would be foolish enough to call this the calm before the storm.
The previous day, hordes of teenaged fans queued for upwards of 12 hours to score his autograph at a Chapters bookstore. Earlier this morning, he needed to evade another throng of girls who’d staked out his appearance at a local radio station. “I wouldn’t wait five minutes for me,” marvels the 19-year-old West Vancouver native. “I don’t really understand what’s happening.”
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Alexander Ludwig : The Good Day L.A. Interview
Thank Samantha for sharing link!
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Alexander Ludwig see similarity between reality TV and “The Hunger Games”
Thank Jenkins for great link! Interview with Alexander Ludwig. by Theprovince.com
They didn’t have to kill each other, but, according to Hunger Games star Alexander Ludwig, there was a healthy sense of competition on the North Carolina set of the juggernaut teen franchise.
“We did do exercises where we’d have to flip huge monster-truck tires, and a lot of cool physical stuff, just to keep us in the right head space,” says the Vancouver actor who plays Cato, one of 24 “tributes” faced with the ultimate struggle to survive.
“No boxing matches or anything like that,” he says. “We all got along . . . and we all knew we were part of something pretty special.”
Even though Ludwig wasn’t a Hunger Games neophyte before he read the script, he quickly educated himself once he was part of the prospective casting pool. He pored over the Suzanne Collins books, and figured out the central attraction wasn’t just the action or the love story.
“This is part of the zeitgeist,” he says, pointing to the parallels with shows such as Survivor, or even American Idol, where contestants are eliminated one by one.
“Modern reality TV sets up these competitive situations to show us real human nature,” he says. “This movie is a metaphor of that. And it’s a pretty edgy concept.”
Despite being set in a not-too-distant future, where civilization has devolved to the point of human sacrifice, Ludwig says the actual emotional content of the film is timeless, human and entirely earnest.
What he found refreshing, however, is the way the movie is allowed to show a little bit of camp, in addition to an epic scale.
“It’s kind of fake, but it’s real, because they were playing off the reality TV show. They wanted that feel. In fact, I have to say, of all the movies I have worked on in the past, this is the one with the least amount of CGI,” he says. “Even though we’re in this futuristic world and this futuristic story, it wasn’t hard to imagine we were there, because we shot in very real locations.”
Ludwig credits the successful mood and feeling to the hard work of director Gary Ross, but also series author Suzanne Collins, who came up with the concept of teen sacrifice in a post-apocalyptic universe.
“This is a complete world, and I think, once you see the movie, you enter that world.”
Fortunately, Ludwig says the kill-or-be-killed part of the narrative was something all the actors left behind on set.
“We became a family so quickly,” he says of his work with co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence.
“I was just in Toronto with Josh, and it was great. We get along so well.”
Hutcherson plays Peeta in the movie, and, in many respects, it’s Peeta who represents the biggest threat to Ludwig’s Cato — even if he’s much smaller, and has about half the muscle mass.
“The thing about Peeta is he’s the one everyone can relate to. He’s just an ordinary guy who realizes he’s not going to survive using his physicality alone. . . . It’s cool, because it’s not a cop-out to run away. It’s more important to survive, and Peeta finds a way to do that,” says Ludwig. “That’s what makes him heroic.”
By contrast, Cato, who possesses all the manly qualities of a typical matinee hero, is the one who emerges as the de facto villain.
“Cato is this big alpha guy,” says Ludwig. “But I’m not like him. As competitive as I am, I’m actually in the process of losing some of this bulk, because I don’t really want to be known as that alpha guy. I mean, I don’t think Shakespeare had a need for the six-foot muscle man,” says Ludwig.
“Acting is what I love. I love being the chameleon, and you can’t do that if you have just one physical type.”
Although he’s not yet 20, Ludwig is already a veteran of the acting business, having landed the lead role in The Seeker (2007), followed by a star turn in Race to Witch Mountain (2009).
When he landed a part in The Hunger Games, he knew it would be a turning point.
“Everyone in Hollywood wanted a role in this movie,” he says. “Everyone wanted to have a part in it. I feel so lucky that I got one, but what I find so cool about Hunger Games is that the real star is the story itself.”
Ludwig says if he’s fortunate enough to stay in the business and call his own shots, he’d like to keep making movies such as The Hunger Games or Blood Diamond — one of his favourite movies of all time, because it balanced action with human drama.
“I like movies that instil passion in the viewer,” he says. “I like movies that can teach us about who we are as people.”
And for all the hype surrounding The Hunger Games, the fact is: It’s actually saying something, according to Ludwig.
“I think this is a story that shows us the power of hope, and the (redeeming) quality of love,” he says. “And that’s pretty cool.”
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Alexander Ludwig : GQ Italia
Alexander Ludwig published picture & article of his for GQ Magazine Italia! (I think original photo session were from Bello magazine) visit Gqitalia.it
Can you tell me when did you begin as an actor? Which was your debut? And how did all this happen?
I started as an actor when I was 9. My mom was an actress so I just kept harassing her to take me to see her agent and finally she relented. I landed my first acting job when I went for my first audition, it was an Harry Potter commercial.
Who are your role models as an actor? Which are the people you admire?
I admire any actor who works hard on his craft. Leonardo Di Caprio is hugely inspirational, as is Johnny Depp. They have both stayed true to who they are as actors and also true to who they are as people.
Which has been your best experience so far as an actor?
That’s a difficult question and impossible to answer. I take something special from each experience.
Since my blog is about style, which v.i.p do you think has a cool style?
Ryan Gosling has great style and combines a cool vibe with elegance. So does Brad Pitt. I admire both these guys.
What’s your personal definition of elegance? Which is your everyday style?
I like clothes that are well made and have an edge.
And you most treasured item in your wardrobe?
As far as a most treasured item…it has to be my leather jacket.
Tell me something about your role in ‘The Hunger games’? Have you read the books before shooting? What did you like about your role?
Cato is a bit misunderstood. Although he is a hard core killer in the arena, you do get to see more of a human side to him in his final moments. He is athletic, skilled and a fierce contender.
I read all the books before shooting. I was hooked immediately.
What have you learned on this set? And what do you think will be interesting for the public?
I learned hand to hand combat and sword fighting which were both taught to me by a Navy Seal. That was pretty cool. I am a really active guy so I loved the training.
Dreams for the future?
I hope to be acting for a long time to come.
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Alexander Ludwig Originally Auditioned to Play Peeta!
Thanks Jenkins for link! Usmagazine published story about Alexander Ludwig audition as Peeta
“I started traveling Europe with a couple buddies after my senior year, and while traveling Europe, I made it my goal to physically sculpt my body so I could portray the character. I was really getting ready for that role. When it came down to it, it was between me, Josh Hutcherson and one other kid,” Ludwig tells BULLETT‘s Spring issue.
Director Gary Ross felt Ludwig’s talents were better suited for another role, “and Josh really did a great job of portraying Peeta’s overall essence,” Ludwig says.
“Gary was like, ‘Listen, I’d really love you to just try reading for this really quickly while I’m in the room. He gave me the script and asked me to read it as a cold read.”
Ludwig says his favorite part about being
“Usually I’m always playing the nice guy, and it’s fun playing the bad guy once in a while, he tells BULLETT. “I got to really experiment with a side of me that I’ve never seen before and definitely the audience hasn’t seen before, so it’ll be really fun to see how people respond.”